Shoe upper using natural wool and composite fabric

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an upper for footwear using natural wool and composite structure fabric, an inner upper including 100% by weight of polyethylene, and an outer upper including 40 to 70% by weight of wool, and cotton) 10-20% by weight and 10-40% by weight of nylon or 10-40% by weight of polyethylene, and cotton contains 5% by weight and 95% by weight of copper yarn containing 2-20 g of copper % of acrylic is ion-bonded, and it is possible to prevent static electricity by copper, and to improve antibacterial properties, heat storage and warming functions, deodorization functions, and electromagnetic wave shielding functions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0028971, filed on Mar. 4, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabric, and by using a composite structure fabric containing natural wool and copper yarn as an upper, it is possible to improve the functionality of antibacterial, thermal insulation, electromagnetic wave shielding, etc. It relates to an upper for a shoe that makes it possible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A shoe is worn to protect the feet, and in general, an upper that wraps a foot of a wearer is attached to the bottom part where a sole and a midsole are combined, and a shoes string is connected to adjust the size. In particular, the upper part is an important part in determining the fit of the shoes, and various methods for improving the functionality of the upper have been devised.

Among them, wool is not easily wrinkled and has excellent thermal insulation and breathability, so it is widely used as an upper fabric. However, 100% wool fabric has a problem in that the processing cost is high and the strength is weak.

Therefore, rather than 100% wool fabrics, wool and chemical fiber blended fabrics are often used, and wool and polyethylene blend fabrics or wool and nylon blend fabrics are commonly used.

Patent document 1 relates to a shoe using sheep's wool fibers and a method for manufacturing an upper used for manufacturing shoes. Patent Document 1 uses sheep's wool fibers to manufacture a shoe upper to facilitate the discharge of sweat and to improve the feeling of wearing to provide comfort to a foot of a wearer.

However, Patent document 1 has a problem in that the content of wool fibers is high, the tensile strength is low, and the processing cost of the fabric is high.

RELATED TECHNICAL LITERATURE Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Korea Patent No. 10-1686896, titled “shoes,”     issued on Dec. 9, 2016.

DESCRIPTION Problems to be Solved

The present invention relates to a shoe upper using natural wool and a composite structure fabric, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with improved comfort and functionality by using a composite upper fabric including natural wool and copper yarn.

[Solutions for Solving Problems]

The present invention relates to an upper for footwear using natural wool and a composite structure fabric, wherein the upper is composed of an inner upper and an outer upper, the inner upper may include 100% by weight of polyethylene, and the outer upper may include wool 40˜70% by weight, cotton 10˜20% by weight, and nylon 10˜40% by weight or polyethylene containing 10˜40% by weight, and the cotton may include ion-bonded 5% by weight copper yarn and 95% by weight of acrylic.

In addition, the copper yarn may contain 2 to 20 g of copper according to an aspect(s) of the present invention.

In addition, in the present invention, the outer upper composed of three layers of a surface, a middle surface, and a back surface, and the surface of the outer upper is composed of one of 100% by weight wool or 100% by weight nylon yarn, the middle surface is alternatively composed of the other yarn among the yarns configured on the surface, and the back surface composed by plying and twisting a cotton containing 100% by weight wool and copper yarns, and the middle surface is connected to the back surface knitted by interweaving.

Effects of the Invention

The present invention relates to an upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabric, and by mixing and using the ratio of natural wool to suit the use of shoes, it is possible to maintain the strength and hardness suitable for shoes, thereby improving the feeling of wearing.

The present invention relates to an upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabric, using wool blend fabric containing copper yarn, it has the effect of improving the functionality of shoes, such as antibacterial, deodorizing, heat storage, warmth, and anti-static.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of reducing the cost of fabric processing by using natural wool and composite structure fabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view showing a typical conventional shoe.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the results of the antibacterial function test of the fabric containing the copper yarn in the upper for shoes using the natural wool and composite structure fabric according to aspect(s) of the present invention.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are views showing the results of the deodorization function test of the fabric containing the copper yarn in the upper for shoes using the natural wool and composite structure fabric according to aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are views showing the results of heat storage and thermal insulation function test of the fabric containing copper yarn in the upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabric according to aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing test results of whether or not heavy metal detection of fabrics containing copper yarns in the upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabrics according to the present invention.

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C are views showing the results of the detection test for harmful substances of the fabric containing the copper yarn in the upper for shoes using the natural wool and composite structure fabric according to aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an embodiment of a shoe using upper for shoes using natural wool and composite structure fabric according to aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an upper for shoes using natural wool and a composite structure fabric, and a detailed description is as follows.

FIG. 1 shows a typical conventional shoe. Like as shown in FIG. 1, the shoes 10 is worn to protect a foot, and is composed of an outsole 12, an upper 14, a tongue 16, and a shoelace 18. The outsole 12 is a part of the shoe 10 that touches the floor, and made of leather, synthetic rubber, plastic, or synthetic resin of urethane, etc. The upper 12 is an upper part of the shoe 10 of the insole and the outsole, that is, the outer part except for a bottom of the shoe 10.

The upper 14 is attached to the outsole 12 of the shoe 10, and a space is formed inside thereof to accommodate the foot. The upper 14 is divided into an inner upper and an outer upper. The inner upper is the upper 14 part of the inner side, which is a part directly touches a foot of wearer, and the outer upper is a upper part of the upper.

In addition, a plurality of lace loops is formed in the upper 14 to connect the laces. The tongue 16 is to protect the dorsum of the foot or to prevent from moisture, and is a tongue-shaped part. The shoelace 18 is to enable size adjustment. The shoelace 18 is connected through a plurality of lace loops formed on the upper 14, and allows the upper 14 to be tightened or loosely adjusted.

On the other hand, a detailed description of the upper natural wool and composite structure fabric used in the present invention is as follows.

100% by weight of polyethylene is used for an inner upper according to aspects of the present invention.

On the other hand, a detailed description of a natural wool and composite structure fabric upper used in the present invention is as follows.

An inner upper 100% by weight of polyethylene is used according to an aspects of the present invention.

Polyethylene fibers are synthetic fibers obtained by melt spinning polyethylene. Polyethylene is polymerized at low, medium, and high pressure, and in particular, medium-pressure polyethylene has high crystallinity and excellent strength, heat resistance, and hot water resistance.

An outer upper may include 40 to 70% by weight of wool, 10 to 40% by weight of nylon or 10 to 40% by weight of polyethylene, and 10 to 20% by weight of cotton according to an aspect of the present invention.

Wool refers mainly to lamb's wool. Wool is soft to the touch, has excellent heat retention, and has excellent hygroscopicity. The merino wool used in the present invention is characterized in that it does not particularly wrinkle, does not stain well, and has a natural ultraviolet (UV) protection function. In addition, it has the advantage of excellent elasticity and recovery.

Nylon is a synthetic fiber that has superior tensile strength than other fibers, is lighter than wool, and has elasticity, water absorption and heat retention.

Wool and nylon are blended to have excellent shape stability, and excellent strength and hardness, thereby improving a feeling of wearing shoes according to an aspect of the present invention.

Aspect(s) of the present invention, cotton is a mixture of 5% by weight of copper yarn (conductive yarn) and 95% by weight of acrylic, and more specifically, it is a fiber prepared by ionically bonding copper component to acrylic. If the copper component is contained in an amount of 2 g or less, the functionality of the copper yarn may be deteriorated, and if it contains more than 20 g, a problem may occur that the production becomes difficult due to an increase in cost. Thus, in order to prevent these above problems, the copper yarn may contain about 2 to 20 g of a copper component according to aspects of the present invention.

On the other hand, copper has excellent characteristics of antibacterial properties, abrasion resistance and conductivity. Therefore, the copper yarn can serve as a functional fiber in which many effects of copper such as antibacterial and antistatic functions are semi-permanently maintained.

FIG. 2 shows the antibacterial function test result of a fabric containing a copper yarn according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 2 is using the KS K 0693 test method, inoculated with E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively, on a test piece of the fabric containing copper yarn and a reference piece, i.e., standard cotton piece, respectively. Thus, after 18 hours of incubation, the results show the reduction rate of bacteria.

As shown in FIG. 2, after 18 hours, the result of ND (not detected) can be confirmed in this test, and on the other hand, it can be confirmed that the number of bacteria is greatly increased in the reference piece after 18 hours. The bacteriostatic reduction rate (%) of this test piece is 99.9%, confirming that the copper ions of the copper yarn may destroy the cellular structure of microorganisms and strongly inhibit bacterial reproduction.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the results of the deodorization function test of the fabric containing the copper yarn. FIGS. 3A and 3B are tests for detecting a rate of decrease in concentration of the test gas over time after hydrogen sulfide is injected into the test gas. At this time, the blank concentration is the concentration carried out in an absence of a sample.

As shown in FIG. 4, as time passes by 30 minutes, the blank concentration is almost constant, but the concentration of the fabric sample used in this test is 0 minutes, from 50 μmol/mol to <0.1 μmol/mol, it can be seen that the concentration reduction rate was significantly reduced to 99.8%.

In the gas concentration curve according to a lapse of time, it can be seen that a curve of the graph after 30 minutes is greatly bent. In other words, it can be confirmed that the fabric containing the copper yarn has excellent antibacterial activity and suppresses the growth of bacteria, thereby having an excellent effect in removing the odor generated from the dead body or excrement of the bacteria.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show test results of a heat storage and heat retention function of the fabric containing the copper yarn.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show that a test result of the following conditions.

A test piece and a reference piece, i.e., standard cotton piece, were placed on the feed holder and fixed, and then light was irradiated from a height of 30 cm or more, of the total test time of 40 minutes, 30 minutes were irradiated with light, 10 minutes light off.

As shown in FIG. 4, it can be confirmed that the test piece is 56.1° C. and the reference piece is 48.2° C. after 30 minutes of the test time. Thereafter, after turning off the light for 10 minutes, it can be confirmed that the test piece is 34.2° C. and the reference piece is 37.1° C. In other words, it can be confirmed that the fabric containing copper yarn has superior heat retention than standard cotton fabric due to the heat storage function of copper and has an excellent effect on maintaining body temperature.

FIGS. 5A to 5C show test results of whether a heavy metal is detected in a fabric containing a copper yarn. The heavy metal detection test was conducted in a test environment with a temperature of 15 to 25° C. and humidity of 20 to 60% using a fabric containing copper yarn as a test piece. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the test result shows that heavy metals such as lead Pb, cadmium Cd, and mercury Hg are not detected in this test piece. That is, it can be confirmed that the fabric containing the copper yarn is harmless to the human body and is suitable for use as a fabric for footwear.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are test results of whether harmful substances are detected in fabrics containing copper yarns. First, FIG. 6B shows test results of whether arylamine is detected. In particular, among arylamines, benzidine is an aromatic carcinogen used for cyanide testing and dye synthesis. It is a toxic substance with a high probability of developing conjunctivitis or bladder cancer if exposed for a long time.

As shown in FIG. 6B, as a result of testing a fabric containing a copper yarn as the test piece, arylamine is not detected.

FIG. 6C shows the test results of allergic dye, hydrogen ion concentration index, and formaldehyde detection. As shown in FIG. 6C, the result is that allergenic dyes and formaldehyde are not detected.

It is the result that a hydrogen ion concentration index is 6.3, Children's textile underwear, midwear 4.0-7.5, outerwear and bedding in a range of 4.0-9.0. thus, it is indicated that the results meet the requirement for using them.

That is, through FIGS. 6A to 6C, it can be confirmed that this fabric including copper yarn is harmless to the human body and is suitable for use as a fabric for shoes.

In addition, the fabric containing copper yarn is effective in preventing static electricity, which causes atopic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis, due to the excellent conductivity of copper contained in the copper yarn, due to its low frictional charging voltage.

In addition, by reflecting the electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic wave scattering effect appears, which is effective in shielding the electromagnetic wave.

Further, the fabric containing copper yarn can be easily detected by a sensor accommodated in an autonomous car.

Next, a detailed description of the mixing ratio of an outer upper is as follows. the outer upper may include 40 to 70% by weight of wool, 10 to 40% by weight of nylon or 10 to 40% by weight of polyethylene, and 10 to 20% by weight according to an aspect of the present invention.

TABLE 1 <Quality test results according to the mixing ratio of wool, nylon, and cotton> Cotton Wool Nylon (including copper) results 1 40% 50% 10%(5%) Good 2 50% 40% 10%(5%) Good 3 60% 30% 10%(5%) Best 4 70% 20% 10%(5%) Good

The table 1 shows a quality test results according to the mixing ratio of wool, nylon, and cotton fibers constituting an outer upper fabric, and all ratios in the table are wt %. The test was conducted by adjusting only a ratio of wool and nylon, and a ratio of cotton including copper yarn was included in the same ratio of 10% by weight.

As shown in table 1, when a mixing ratio of wool is 40 to 70% by weight, it is a result suitable for upper fabric for shoes. A test 1 is a case of mixing ratio of 40% by weight of wool and 50% by weight of nylon, and the ratio of wool is smaller than that of nylon, so it visually feels close to poly fabric products, the result is that it is difficult to judge the ratio of an optimal fit.

Test 2 is a case in which the weight of wool was slightly increased with a mixing ratio of 50% by weight of wool and 40% by weight of nylon, and the visible part was improved, but in the texture of the touch, the result is that it is difficult to judge the ratio of an optimal fit

Test 3 is a mixing ratio of 60% by weight of wool and 30% by weight of nylon, and it is the result that is the most optimal in terms of price and product quality in product production such as visible feeling and touch.

Test 4 is a case of mixing ratio of 70% by weight of wool, and when the ratio of wool is increased, it is difficult to determine an optimal ratio in terms of tensile strength and fabric processing cost.

According to the table 1, when mixed with 60% by weight of wool, 30% by weight of nylon, and 10% by weight of cotton, it has the most competitiveness in terms of product production and processing cost, and also it can be confirmed that the properties are the most optimal for footwear applications.

Next, an outer upper mixed in the same ratio as above is manufactured by the following process. The following shows the manufacturing process when using wool, nylon and cotton. In addition to nylon, it is possible to mix polyethylene for the outer upper.

First, 100 wt % wool and 100 wt % nylon cotton used for an outer upper is prepared, and then the yarn is produced through a process such as removing fine dust. The yarns produced as described above are knitted on a knitting machine, respectively.

In more detail, the outer upper is knitted by dividing it into three layers of the surface, the middle surface, and the back surface, but it is knitted in such a way that they are interwoven and connected to each other. First, the surface is knitted and formed by selecting one of 2/72′nm 100 wt % wool or 200 denier 100 wt % nylon.

The middle surface is knitted using the other one of the yarns used for the surface. For example, if wool is used for the surface, and then nylon is used for the middle surface, on the other hand, if nylon is used for the surface, and then wool is used for the middle surface. At this time, since the yarn used for the middle surface is cross-woven knitted with a surface, it causes a melange effect on a portion of the surface under the influence of the middle surface yarn. In addition, yarns of different colors are used for the surface and middle surface yarns to show the melange effect.

After that, on the back surface, 1/48′nm wool and 30/1′ne cotton containing copper yarn is plied and twisted, and the yarn on the middle surface is connected to each other and weaved and knitted. Thereafter, an upper is manufactured by bonding an inner upper and an outer upper made in the same manner as above.

FIG. 7 shows a shoe manufactured using the upper according to aspects of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the shoe manufactured using the upper part of the present invention is made of natural wool and composite structure fabric, and has excellent strength and hardness, excellent shape stability, and improved fit and weight.

In particular, fabric containing copper yarn is used for an outer upper, so it is possible to provide shoes with improved functionality by adding anti-static function, heat storage/warming function, antibacterial function, deodorization function, and electromagnetic wave shielding function to the functionality of wool according to an aspect of the present invention.

[Explaining of numeric symbol] 10: shoes 12: outsole 14: upper 16: tongue 18: shoelace 

What is claimed is:
 1. An upper for shoes, the upper comprising: an inner upper; and an outer upper, wherein the inner upper contains 100% by weight of polyethylene, wherein the outer upper contains 40 to 70% by weight of wool, 10 to 20% by weight of cotton, and 10 to 40% by weight of nylon or 10 to 40% by weight of polyethylene, wherein the cotton comprises 5% by weight of copper yarn and 95% by weight of acrylic are ionically bonded, thereby the upper for shoes composed of natural wool and composite structure fabric.
 2. The upper of claim 1, wherein the copper yarn contains 2 to 20 g of copper.
 3. The upper of claim 1, wherein the outer upper is composed of a surface, a middle surface, and a back surface, wherein the surface of the outer upper is composed of 100% by weight wool yarn, wherein the middle surface is composed of 100% by weight nylon yarn, wherein the back side, 100% by weight of wool and cotton containing copper yarn are plied and twisted, wherein the surface is mixed weaved knitted to connect to each other with the middle surface, wherein the middle surface is mixed weaved and knitted by connecting to each other with the back surface.
 4. The upper of claim 1, wherein the outer upper is composed of a surface, a middle surface, and a back surface, wherein the surface of the outer upper is composed of 100% by weight nylon yarn, wherein the middle surface is composed of 100% by weight wool yarn, wherein the back side, 100% by weight of wool and cotton containing copper yarn are plied and twisted, wherein the surface is mixed weaved knitted to connect to each other with the middle surface, wherein the middle surface is mixed weaved and knitted by connecting to each other with the back surface.
 5. The upper of claim 2, wherein the outer upper is composed of a surface, a middle surface, and a back surface, wherein the surface of the outer upper is composed of 100% by weight wool yarn, wherein the middle surface is composed of 100% by weight nylon yarn, wherein the back side, 100% by weight of wool and cotton containing copper yarn are plied and twisted, wherein the surface is mixed weaved knitted to connect to each other with the middle surface, wherein the middle surface is mixed weaved and knitted by connecting to each other with the back surface.
 6. The upper of claim 2, wherein the outer upper is composed of a surface, a middle surface, and a back surface, wherein the surface of the outer upper is composed of 100% by weight nylon yarn, wherein the middle surface is composed of 100% by weight wool yarn, wherein the back side, 100% by weight of wool and cotton containing copper yarn are plied and twisted, wherein the surface is mixed weaved knitted to connect to each other with the middle surface, wherein the middle surface is mixed weaved and knitted by connecting to each other with the back surface. 